Elezen

A characteristically tall people, long of limb and slender of build.

Culture

The Elezen can lay claim to being the oldest of Eorzea's native sentient races— various city-states over multiple Astral Eras have been founded by them, and there is significant evidence to suggest that the ancient, mighty Allagan Empire may have been substantially driven by the Elezen's distant forebears.

In modern times, while a few Elezen can be found all across Eorzea, their greatest populations are in Gridania, an ancient forest city-state under protection of the elementals, and Ishgard, the snow-covered highlands where her people devoutly worship Halone, the Fury. Elezen were instrumental in the founding of Gridania and are responsible for many of the traditions of its greatest institutions, such as the Archer's and Conjurer's Guilds. Their long attachment to the Black Shroud and understanding of the elementals who truly rule that forest mean they will be a crucial part of Gridania, as long as it endures.

Lineages

Wildwood

For eons, the Wildwood Elezen have lived in the safety of Eorzea's lush forests. They have an excellent sense of sight— a contributing factor in their unparalleled expertise as archers. With the formation of the realm's governments, many Wildwood were drawn to the exhilarating cosmopolitanism of the urban centers or the simple nomadism of the plains.

The other great population of "Wildwood" Elezen is to be found in Coerthas, but long decades of ceaseless warfare with the Dravanian Horde, the intensity of the faith of the Church of Halone, and most recently the years of bitter cold and snow, have made the Elezen of Coerthas culturally distinct from their other Wildwood cousins.

Duskwight

The Duskwight Elezen have spent centuries in the peace and seclusion of Eorzea's caves and caverns. They have developed an acute sense of hearing, capable of detecting the faintest sound. The uncanny awareness this grants has proven advantageous in the field of hand-to-hand combat. Many of the reclusive Duskwight resort to robbery and pillaging to survive, earning them the scorn of their woodland relatives.